Thursday October 11, 2012 (Jupiter and Saturn; Video Segment - JTTEOTU)

The Launch Pad Thursday, 10/11/12 Identify this object. Mars

The Launch Pad Thursday, 10/11/12 Identify this object. Olympus Mons

The Launch Pad Thursday, 10/11/12 Identify this object. Valles Marineris

The Launch Pad Thursday, 10/11/12 Identify this object. Phobos

Announcements Happy Autumn

Assignment Currently Open Summative or Formative? Date IssuedDate Due Date Into GradeSpeed Final Day Quiz 6S110/5 10/19

Recent Events in Science Station Crew Opens Dragon’s Hatch ng/index.html Read All About It! Astronauts in the ISS opened the hatch to the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship on Wednesday, marking a milestone for the first commercial resupply mission to reach the International Space Station. Dragon is scheduled to spend 18 days attached to the station. During that time, the crew will unload 882 pounds of crew supplies, science research and hardware from the cargo craft and reload it with 1,673 pounds of cargo for return to Earth. After Dragon’s mission at the station is completed, the crew will use Canadarm2 to detach Dragon from Harmony on October 28 and release it for a splashdown about six hours later in the Pacific Ocean, 250 miles off the coast of southern California.

Jupiter Jupiter is our solar system’s largest planet, and the most massive: Its 2.5 times more massive than the combined masses of all the planets, moons, and asteroids. If it had been 10 times more massive, it would have been a small star and we would live in a binary star system. Jupiter rotates very rapidly on its axis, slightly less than 10 hours/rotation. This fast rotation causes a slight in Jupiter’s bulged equatorial region.

Jupiter Jupiter’s atmospheric clouds have a banded appearance. The multicolored bands are aligned parallel to Jupiter’s equator and are generated by wind systems. The Great Red Spot in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere is a counterclockwise rotating cyclonic storm that has been raging for centuries.

Jupiter Jupiter’s atmospheric clouds

Jupiter Studies of Jupiter’s structure indicate a gigantic ocean of gaseous hydrogen extending down far under the cloud tops. At greater depths, pressure turns the gas to liquid hydrogen. Halfway down into the interior, extreme pressure causes the liquid hydrogen to turn into a metallic liquid. Rocky and metallic materials probably exists in a solid form in the central core… perhaps a large diamond?

Jupiter Moons of Jupiter Currently, Jupiter has 63 known moons. Its four largest moons were discovered by Galileo and are called the Galilean satellites. Each of the Galilean moons has its own unique character. Io is the innermost Galilean moon and is also volcanically active. Europa is the smallest Galilean moon. Ganymede is the largest Jovian satellite. Callisto is the outermost Galilean moon.

Io With over 400 active volcanoes, Io is the most geologically active object in the Solar System.

Europa The apparent youth and smoothness of Io’s ice-surface have led to the hypothesis that a water ocean exists beneath it, which could conceivably serve as an abode for extraterrestrial life.

Ganymede Ganymede, the largest moon in our Solar System, is composed of approximately equal amounts of silicate rock and water ice. It is a fully differentiated body with an iron-rich, liquid core. A saltwater ocean is believed to exist nearly 200 km below Ganymede's surface, sandwiched between layers of ice.

Callisto Callisto's rotation is tidally locked to its revolution around Jupiter, so that the same hemisphere always faces inward. Jupiter appears to stand still in Callisto's sky. Callisto is less affected by Jupiter's magnetosphere than the other inner satellites because it orbits farther away.

Saturn Saturn is similar to Jupiter in its atmosphere, composition, and internal structure. Saturn’s rings are its most prominent feature - the ring system was discovered by Galileo in The rings are very complex, and are composed of orbiting rocks, from the size of a marble to the size of a house. The rings are thought to be debris from a shattered moon, but their origin is still being debated.

Saturn Saturn has a very dynamic atmosphere - there are large cyclonic storms similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Saturn has thirty named moons, and 62 known at present. The largest Saturnian moon is named Titan, the second largest moon (after Jupiter’s Ganymede) in the solar system. Titan has a substantial atmosphere.

Saturn’s Ring System is Complex Figure 22.21

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